What's the true meaning of education (2)

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Apart from the exam-based admissions and the fierce competition for enrolling in key schools because of unbalanced education resources, pushy parents with a utilitarian attitude toward education are also to blame for the increasing stress on children.

Traditionally, Chinese parents have had high expectations of their children. As a result, they tend to have a greater say than their children in everything, especially their education, while children are expected to have filial obedience and respect for authority.

A recent survey of China Youth and Children Research Center shows that 83.6 percent of parents require their middle-school children to be among the top 15 in their class, and 54.7 percent expect their children to earn a doctor's degree.

Chinese families have always believed that education opens the door to a successful career and life. No wonder, most Chinese parents move heaven and earth to get their children good education, and the process starts from kindergartens.

A teacher from a public junior high school in Shenyang, Liaoning province, says that almost 90 percent of the students in her class attend off-campus training classes during summer holidays. Most of "those who don't receive additional tutoring intend to shun senior high school and end up in vocational or technical schools".

The tragedy is that a majority of urban Chinese parents think attending vocational schools would compromise their children's standing in society and impair their chances of success in life. And no parent would want to risk his/her child's future by not getting it the best possible academic education.

It's time parents - and for that matter the entire society - understood the true meaning of education. Fortunately, changing concepts in these times of social transition is prompting some young parents to explore new ways of raising children by paying greater attention to their personality and character building.

Also, the percentage of students bypassing zhongkao and gaokao has increased in recent years because an increasing number of parents are sending their children abroad for higher studies or to international schools from a young age.

Still, the government's attitude toward education will determine whether a majority of children will be relieved of the heavy burden of studies. And much will depend on how seriously the government implements reforms in the education sector and how balanced its resource distribution is.

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